starting your kids on fantasy football (1 Viewer)

[gorillafan]

my soon to be 2nd grader LOVES football. i purchased a couple of the draft previews for him so he could learn a bit about the incoming rookies and he is going nuts with them. before then he looked through numerous preseason guides i had from several years ago (BARRY SANDERS was in a couple of them... lol) because i quit buying them when we finally got high speed internet.

he's not gifted but we do know that he's getting bored in school... and he causes trouble when he's bored (provokes it actually, he's never caught)... so some of the teachers have suggested finding something he's fascinated in and letting him explore it as much as possible from as many angles as possible.

i'm considering introducing him to fantasy football this summer and setting up a very basic league for him.

does this sound like a good idea for somebody this young, or is it a big risk? i do NOT want to turn him off to the game. plus he's ultra competitive, so that's a concern.

has anybody else introduced their kids to fantasy sports? if so, how'd you do it and do you have any advice?

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

Use it to teach him math.

 

[Routilla]

Great idea. Let him learn about value(of players) and cost(pick by ranking) since he truly loves it and later on in life he will be able to apply it to the stock market among other things. I truly believe FF has enhanced my ability to assess value and risk in many areas of life.

 

[gorillafan]

Use it to teach him math.

yeah, that was the huge selling point to my wifei'm just concerned that he'll become obsessed and over competitive with it... at age 7... not a good thingthats why i'm hoping others who've worked with their kids on fantasy sports may have advice

 

[DevilDog919]

I started learning fantasy football at around at 10 or so from my father. I would go to drafts with him, "help" him plan his draft, and go up and post the players names on the board once we drafted them. He taught me alot about fantasy football during that time, and at age 14 finally convinced the guys to let me play. I was a 14 year old drafting and playing with 30-50 year olds. That year I got 2nd in a 12 man league, then the following year won the championship. My point is not to bloat, but to show that those years I was learning under my father helped me win those titles IMO.

I think a 2nd grader is a bit too young to own a team by himself, but by all means let him assist you in every way he can during the draft and season. Then maybe once he hits middle school let him loose on his own.

 

[Chunky Soup]

Let him play sports or something that others will play too. He'll have no friends at age 7 if he becomes obsessed.

 

[gorillafan]

Let him play sports or something that others will play too. He'll have no friends at age 7 if he becomes obsessed.

he already plays sports (baseball, soccer & basketball... is already looking forward to flag football), that's not a concernwe're trying to find ways to challenge his mind

 

[dgreen]

Use it to teach him math.

yeah, that was the huge selling point to my wifei'm just concerned that he'll become obsessed and over competitive with it... at age 7... not a good thing

thats why i'm hoping others who've worked with their kids on fantasy sports may have advice

Then use it to teach him how to properly be competitive. Kids need to learn how to react to winning and losing.

 

[gorillafan]

I started learning fantasy football at around at 10 or so from my father. I would go to drafts with him, "help" him plan his draft, and go up and post the players names on the board once we drafted them. He taught me alot about fantasy football during that time, and at age 14 finally convinced the guys to let me play. I was a 14 year old drafting and playing with 30-50 year olds. That year I got 2nd in a 12 man league, then the following year won the championship. My point is not to bloat, but to show that those years I was learning under my father helped me win those titles IMO. I think a 2nd grader is a bit too young to own a team by himself, but by all means let him assist you in every way he can during the draft and season. Then maybe once he hits middle school let him loose on his own.

not a bad idea. i used to be in a league every year, but have been out of it a few years because of the time involved. maybe i can let him be my "assistant"

 

[Jon_Moore]

Advice: keep him away!

 

[dgreen]

Advice: keep him away!

At least keep him away from the FFA.

 

[FTRWRTR]

a friend of mine who is also in several leagues with me let his sons start playing at age 10

 

[jwsbowler]

a friend of mine who is also in several leagues with me let his sons start playing at age 10

FTR is right... My son started with FF at 10. For the first year, "we" controlled a team together, where he would draft and set the lineups. He would ask me for opinions and such. He would do research on players and get some information. However, with certain things, he did not have the "depth" of which players would build bench strength for his team. This is where I would guide him. A good place that he started with was Yahoo as it was easy and he could keep up with every day things, make roster changes and such. For all trades, he was told to confirm with me and we would talk about it, the good, bad and "how does this help your team"? type questions. A good way to teach him. My wife understood this was a great way to "bond" with the kids. (I have 2 and the 2nd one is now involved, and he started at 10 also). Both kids knew the top type players and when it was time to draft, we talked about needs, what was available, how deep a position was to let that spot go for another type of player...ie, grab a 3rd running back before getting a 2nd wide receiver if there were about 8 available and we would still get one of them...and such. He's picked up that expertise very well.Now, he's 13, been playing for 3 years. He's very experienced and does quite well in FF against some pretty sharp guys, me included. FTR can verify that. My son is now very knowledgable and has a great time. He's even bragging that he does better than me...

 

[Jason Wood]

I can't wait for the day (my sons are 4 and 2, respectively) but realistically they have to know down and distance before I worry about teaching them VBD.

 

[Routilla]

I can't wait for the day (my sons are 4 and 2, respectively) but realistically they have to know down and distance before I worry about teaching them VBD.

I would also suggest letting them master the 4-3 before throwing them into the fire of the many nuances that the 3-4 has to offer.

 

[Qmaster]

Terry Cannon (TC) has run FF Leagues for youths for years.

His leagues are more about having fun and being a good sport than winning.

His leagues match up youths based on age.

Terry is one of the nicest guys in the Fantasy Football world and you might want to take a look at his leagues.

http://youthfantasyfootball.com/

Q

 

[shredhead]

I can't wait for the day (my sons are 4 and 2, respectively) but realistically they have to know down and distance before I worry about teaching them VBD.

I would also suggest letting them master the 4-3 before throwing them into the fire of the many nuances that the 3-4 has to offer. :X

Brian Greise hasn't even figured that out yet!?!

Use it to teach him math.

7's were my best number when memorizing times tables.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Let me cast a vote on the other side, and encourage you to wait several more years.

Yes, fantasy football is great fun. But we were all (or the vast majority were) football fans for several years before adding the depth of fantasy football to it. Some of the best, pure football memories were just watching my favorite team, not thinking for a moment about who caught or ran or threw the ball unless it was my favorite player. I didn't care about the stats. It was just football. I think once you have that for a long time, you build up a base of love for the game and are prepared to add fantasy football to it.

If you start them on it too early, "football" will always be a numbers game and a sport combined. It will never be just football-- real teams working together. I think we can separate rooting for our favorite team and rooting for our fantasy team because we loved the real team first, so we understand the difference. If I was raised with fantasy football always a part of football, it would be a different game to me.

Would you teach your kid about point spreads and juice and making money gambling while he was getting into the game? I wouldn't want to teach a young fan that "football" is a game that professionals play on the field while fans play a numbers game on the side to win money (whther gambling or in a fantasy league).

To sum up, let the little fan be a little fan. The numbers and extras can come later. Keep it pure.

 

[lebowski]

Use it to teach him math.

I actually use it as a supplement when teaching middle school math. The kids love it and they have a lot of fun. Even some 7th graders struggle with some of the calculations though, so the simpler the rules the better in my opinion. 2nd grade seems a little early to me, but that is just one opinion.

 

[Cobalt Cruisin']

Terry Cannon (TC) has run FF Leagues for youths for years.

His leagues are more about having fun and being a good sport than winning.

His leagues match up youths based on age.

Terry is one of the nicest guys in the Fantasy Football world and you might want to take a look at his leagues.

http://youthfantasyfootball.com/

Q

I'll second the motion for TC.His site is an excellent way for The Young Ones to learn with other kids of the same age group.

Cobalt

 

[Horses Mouth]

2nd graders might be a bit of a concern for your league. Rumor has it that they are colluders.

 

[renesauz]

Let me cast a vote on the other side, and encourage you to wait several more years.Yes, fantasy football is great fun. But we were all (or the vast majority were) football fans for several years before adding the depth of fantasy football to it. Some of the best, pure football memories were just watching my favorite team, not thinking for a moment about who caught or ran or threw the ball unless it was my favorite player. I didn't care about the stats. It was just football. I think once you have that for a long time, you build up a base of love for the game and are prepared to add fantasy football to it.If you start them on it too early, "football" will always be a numbers game and a sport combined. It will never be just football-- real teams working together. I think we can separate rooting for our favorite team and rooting for our fantasy team because we loved the real team first, so we understand the difference. If I was raised with fantasy football always a part of football, it would be a different game to me.Would you teach your kid about point spreads and juice and making money gambling while he was getting into the game? I wouldn't want to teach a young fan that "football" is a game that professionals play on the field while fans play a numbers game on the side to win money (whther gambling or in a fantasy league).To sum up, let the little fan be a little fan. The numbers and extras can come later. Keep it pure.

 

[Buttmonkey]

2nd graders might be a bit of a concern for your league. Rumor has it that they are colluders.

I can hear his smack talk now. "What league are you in, you must play with a bunch of pre-schoolers"

 

[lord_helmet]

2nd graders might be a bit of a concern for your league. Rumor has it that they are colluders.

I can hear his smack talk now. "What league are you in, you must play with a bunch of pre-schoolers"

As soon as my diaper has been changed, I'll be back to make my pick.

 

[bjlmonster]

I got my 3rd grader started. A few guys in my main league had kids interested and we got them and a few more rookie owners to start a new league.

I helped him draft and he controlled his line up through the year. He loved it and plans to do it again.

 

[gorillafan]

I've been putting a lot of thought into this, and instead of getting him into Fantasy Football, I think I'm just going to stick with having him read 75 Seasons and those sorts of books for now... really hit on the historical aspect and try to work on that "attachment" to the game.

After a year or so, an introduction to the X's & O's (the Packer Sweep, etc) and when he's older fantasy football

fwiw, we've got a Gamecube and i'm trying to find a good, easy football game for him to play

i remember playing the original tecmo bowl when i was a few years older than he is now and loving it... although come to think of it, i guess i was 13 or 14 when that came out... not 8

 

[Red Max]

My son had his first year in FF two years ago, where, with a bit of help from yours truely, he just missed the playoffs.

Last year I left him to his own devices and he walked away with the Title.

He is next on the waiting list for the main Dynasty League I play in and needless to say I am worried for my prospects if he gets in

 

[prymetyme25]

Dont do it. It will make him fat, slow and uninterested in everything else. And far as I know there is no know cure for FFB.

 

[jcjets]

How long until he figures out its 70% luck. Then what do you do?

Find something he is interested in that he has some control over the outcome. If you want to challenge his mind, play chess with him.

Drafting Bettis in FF in round 6 when he has a game where gets 6 carries for 5 yards and 3 TDs teachs him nothing. There is nothing worse than realizing that your hobby that you strategize over is summarized by a 7-9 year old as luck after their first year.

The truth hurts.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

How long until he figures out its 70% luck. Then what do you do? Find something he is interested in that he has some control over the outcome. If you want to challenge his mind, play chess with him.Drafting Bettis in FF in round 6 when he has a game where gets 6 carries for 5 yards and 3 TDs teachs him nothing. There is nothing worse than realizing that your hobby that you strategize over is summarized by a 7-9 year old as luck after their first year.The truth hurts.

The luck part is having Bettis, I think the skill part would be starting him.He was not a automatic start.I am not lucky nor skillfull. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[Zowned]

I ran my first league in 4th grade for milk money. Had the draft during lunch over a couple days. I remember drafting Joe Montana. 6th grade I had 2 of the teachers in my league

 

[Warhogs]

7 seems a bit young to me but that is maybe because my sone did not really take much interest in football until he was about 11. I would think you might have a tough time finding many other kids his age and parents willing to allow their children to play at that age to form a league of kids his age. I could be wrong?

I really see no problem in introducing him to fantasy football this year and here are a couple of ideas to possibly consider. Maybe make it a family thing? Get the wife, some uncles and such to make it into a family league. I also otherwise like the idea of sharing a team with your son. If you have enough fantasy football enthusiasts in your area maybe you could form a league of parents sharing teams with their kids?

If you look at a kids only league I wonder if it might not be a bad idea to make it a no trading league? This could allow the kids to track statistics and such but not create any ill will toward bad trades and such. Obviously trading is a great part of the fun but it is something I would consider in an introductory league.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

I ran my first league in 4th grade for milk money. Had the draft during lunch over a couple days. I remember drafting Joe Montana. 6th grade I had 2 of the teachers in my league

How is Jr. High these days?

 

[Zuma]

http://www.footballguys.com/05fazio_passiton.php

 

[KoolKat]

Dont do it. It will make him fat, slow and uninterested in everything else. And far as I know there is no know cure for FFB.

I grew up around Fantasy Football and am none of these things. I remember my Dad going to his first ever draft when I was 8; it was an expansion draft for his and another team in a Dynasty league, which were rare back then. He had the first pick, and had the choice to go with an aging John Elway or this young up and comer named Brett Favre who had just been traded to GB. He went with Favre and I thought he was nuts. I am now in that same league, since I inherited a team 5 years ago when I was 15. Looking back, I'm shocked these "older" guys let a 15 year old in. I guess most of them knew me and how well I knew FF. I'd say there is nothing wrong with putting your child onto FF, it has made me closer with my Dad. 1/4 the things we talk about are FF related, it gives you common ground. Oh, and the math thing too.

 

[kevthegrad]

I figure somewhere between the 1st word and 2nd, you need to start in on the "Hoshmazilli......Whosyourmama" verbiage.

Thank god Vanderjagt is out of the league. Adults can't even say that one.

 

[ZzZ]

your 7 year old son at your draft in Vegas... ahh, good times, good memories.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Dont do it. It will make him fat, slow and uninterested in everything else. And far as I know there is no know cure for FFB.

I grew up around Fantasy Football and am none of these things. I remember my Dad going to his first ever draft when I was 8; it was an expansion draft for his and another team in a Dynasty league, which were rare back then. He had the first pick, and had the choice to go with an aging John Elway or this young up and comer named Brett Favre who had just been traded to GB. He went with Favre and I thought he was nuts. I am now in that same league, since I inherited a team 5 years ago when I was 15. Looking back, I'm shocked these "older" guys let a 15 year old in. I guess most of them knew me and how well I knew FF. I'd say there is nothing wrong with putting your child onto FF, it has made me closer with my Dad. 1/4 the things we talk about are FF related, it gives you common ground. Oh, and the math thing too.

Do you have any football memories where fantasy football had absolutely no impact on the game-- where you didn't care about the stats or weren't thinking about other games where you might have players, or checking stats from other contests during breaks in the game or whatever?

 

[BigRed]

Let him play sports or something that others will play too. He'll have no friends at age 7 if he becomes obsessed.

....or his friends will be these you'd rather not have him hanging out with all the time and will end up being like the kids on those singular commercials ("dungeon masters don't have levels you dork")Really whether you're joking or not, I think there is some legit concern/truth to this. I know how this will probably be dismissed by most (on an FF message board, big surprise) but am I the only one here who finds it at least a little disturbing or somehow just not right for kids that young to be getting really into FF, and esp "playing with adults" (being in a league) at a young age? At the very least, kids should play FF w/people at least close to their own age, just like most other things.After all, there's plenty of time to get all dweebed out w/this when they're grown and have jobs w/way too much slack time.

 

[BigRed]

Terry Cannon (TC) has run FF Leagues for youths for years.

His leagues are more about having fun and being a good sport than winning.

His leagues match up youths based on age.

Terry is one of the nicest guys in the Fantasy Football world and you might want to take a look at his leagues.

http://youthfantasyfootball.com/

All those things can be said of Greg Kellogg too FYI - in fact they might run them (or some) together, but couldn't say for sure offhand.

 

[BigRed]

Let me cast a vote on the other side, and encourage you to wait several more years.Yes, fantasy football is great fun. But we were all (or the vast majority were) football fans for several years before adding the depth of fantasy football to it. Some of the best, pure football memories were just watching my favorite team, not thinking for a moment about who caught or ran or threw the ball unless it was my favorite player. I didn't care about the stats. It was just football. I think once you have that for a long time, you build up a base of love for the game and are prepared to add fantasy football to it.If you start them on it too early, "football" will always be a numbers game and a sport combined. It will never be just football-- real teams working together. I think we can separate rooting for our favorite team and rooting for our fantasy team because we loved the real team first, so we understand the difference. If I was raised with fantasy football always a part of football, it would be a different game to me.Would you teach your kid about point spreads and juice and making money gambling while he was getting into the game? I wouldn't want to teach a young fan that "football" is a game that professionals play on the field while fans play a numbers game on the side to win money (whther gambling or in a fantasy league).To sum up, let the little fan be a little fan. The numbers and extras can come later. Keep it pure.

Exactly, someone else does get it, thank you

 

[BigRed]

I've been putting a lot of thought into this, and instead of getting him into Fantasy Football, I think I'm just going to stick with having him read 75 Seasons and those sorts of books for now... really hit on the historical aspect and try to work on that "attachment" to the game.After a year or so, an introduction to the X's & O's (the Packer Sweep, etc) and when he's older fantasy footballfwiw, we've got a Gamecube and i'm trying to find a good, easy football game for him to playi remember playing the original tecmo bowl when i was a few years older than he is now and loving it... although come to think of it, i guess i was 13 or 14 when that came out... not 8

 

[ffguru56]

my soon to be 2nd grader LOVES football. i purchased a couple of the draft previews for him so he could learn a bit about the incoming rookies and he is going nuts with them. before then he looked through numerous preseason guides i had from several years ago (BARRY SANDERS was in a couple of them... lol) because i quit buying them when we finally got high speed internet.he's not gifted but we do know that he's getting bored in school... and he causes trouble when he's bored (provokes it actually, he's never caught)... so some of the teachers have suggested finding something he's fascinated in and letting him explore it as much as possible from as many angles as possible.i'm considering introducing him to fantasy football this summer and setting up a very basic league for him.does this sound like a good idea for somebody this young, or is it a big risk? i do NOT want to turn him off to the game. plus he's ultra competitive, so that's a concern.has anybody else introduced their kids to fantasy sports? if so, how'd you do it and do you have any advice?

I agree that it does challenge the mind with a lot of things the others have brought up (ie. value of picks, etc) however, I think it's best not to subject kids to computers that early. Maybe it's just my opinion but fantasy football won't get your kids isolated or cause them not to have friends....it's computers. The use of instant messenging has killed interpersonal skills. I fimly believe this. Considering the world we live in now-adays where it's technology driven....I wouldn't say holding the computer back from them is the key. Rather, set a minimal amount of supervised time he is allowed on it per day and weekend. And ensure the computer is in a room that he can't access without you (or have a lock on the computer). Like I said, maybe it's me, but computers are addicting and I feel parents need to be careful with the amount of time their kids spend on it, among other reasons that aren't named (porn, child predators, morally wrong web sites, explicit web sites, etc). I guess my point is that, sure, it's a good idea to let him get involved with it. But certainly limit his time on the computer so he won't have a chance to become obsessed with it....not at this age anyway.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

my soon to be 2nd grader LOVES football. i purchased a couple of the draft previews for him so he could learn a bit about the incoming rookies and he is going nuts with them. before then he looked through numerous preseason guides i had from several years ago (BARRY SANDERS was in a couple of them... lol) because i quit buying them when we finally got high speed internet.he's not gifted but we do know that he's getting bored in school... and he causes trouble when he's bored (provokes it actually, he's never caught)... so some of the teachers have suggested finding something he's fascinated in and letting him explore it as much as possible from as many angles as possible.i'm considering introducing him to fantasy football this summer and setting up a very basic league for him.does this sound like a good idea for somebody this young, or is it a big risk? i do NOT want to turn him off to the game. plus he's ultra competitive, so that's a concern.has anybody else introduced their kids to fantasy sports? if so, how'd you do it and do you have any advice?

I agree that it does challenge the mind with a lot of things the others have brought up (ie. value of picks, etc) however, I think it's best not to subject kids to computers that early. Maybe it's just my opinion but fantasy football won't get your kids isolated or cause them not to have friends....it's computers. The use of instant messenging has killed interpersonal skills. I fimly believe this. Considering the world we live in now-adays where it's technology driven....I wouldn't say holding the computer back from them is the key. Rather, set a minimal amount of supervised time he is allowed on it per day and weekend. And ensure the computer is in a room that he can't access without you (or have a lock on the computer). Like I said, maybe it's me, but computers are addicting and I feel parents need to be careful with the amount of time their kids spend on it, among other reasons that aren't named (porn, child predators, morally wrong web sites, explicit web sites, etc). I guess my point is that, sure, it's a good idea to let him get involved with it. But certainly limit his time on the computer so he won't have a chance to become obsessed with it....not at this age anyway.

So what's the point of playing? Everyone else in his league will have computer access, he'll know he's way behind from an information standpoint and he'll be playing a game where he has a huge disadvantage. It's not like several years ago, where internet access gave you a competitive adantage. Now, if you don't have it you're in a deep hole. Do you limit his checking injury reports on Sunday morning? How about scores and stats throughout the day? Practice schedules during the week? Message boards for info? I understand your concern about computers, but that just tells me that maybe ff isn't for a young person. It's a computer-based game now, like it or not.

 

[seahawk 17]

My son who is 9 just played for the first time this year(8.8 when season started). He is very football savvy. People thought it was a joke and somewhat lame until the draft started and he was making great picks. He had a great time at the draft and during most of the year.

Issues: Going into the late rounds (12-16) he needed a lot of help drafting for need, to cover bye weeks, and during late rounds had a tough time picking players who in his mind were 'scrubs." In the end he had a sweet team, but zero depth. He led his division for the first 6 weeks and was 6-0 before depth issues killed him. He finished below .500

In the end he had a great time, even though it was rough at times. He is already pumped for another year. be prepared for other teams to try to raid his roster. Teams tried to rip my son off the first few weeks of the draft.

 

[JohnnyU]

I believe if a kid plays FF too young he will never become a fan of any one team, but just a fan of his FF teams. I think because I started playing FF much later in life, I will always root for my team over FF stats. I'm not so sure that would happen if to someone who started playing FF early in life. FF is a very addictive hobby and addiction of any kind is not a good thing, especially to someone so young. He will cease to enjoy other things that would otherwise keep him active, and he will lose friends because of it. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want my kid known as a FF freak and have him alienated by those who were once his friends. Kids need to be kids, doing kid stuff.

 

[KoolKat]

Dont do it. It will make him fat, slow and uninterested in everything else. And far as I know there is no know cure for FFB.

I grew up around Fantasy Football and am none of these things. I remember my Dad going to his first ever draft when I was 8; it was an expansion draft for his and another team in a Dynasty league, which were rare back then. He had the first pick, and had the choice to go with an aging John Elway or this young up and comer named Brett Favre who had just been traded to GB. He went with Favre and I thought he was nuts. I am now in that same league, since I inherited a team 5 years ago when I was 15. Looking back, I'm shocked these "older" guys let a 15 year old in. I guess most of them knew me and how well I knew FF. I'd say there is nothing wrong with putting your child onto FF, it has made me closer with my Dad. 1/4 the things we talk about are FF related, it gives you common ground. Oh, and the math thing too.

Do you have any football memories where fantasy football had absolutely no impact on the game-- where you didn't care about the stats or weren't thinking about other games where you might have players, or checking stats from other contests during breaks in the game or whatever?

I always put the Broncos ahead of any of my FF affiliations. I wasn't in a league until I was 15, so as a kid I wasn't checking stats. However, my brother and I would draft teams and play one and other. Regardless, if your son were to grow up a football fan first, then a FF fan it is not a bad thing. I was a Broncos fan since birth, and didn't get into FF till around age 7. I am partial to guys like Favre, Keyshawn, Ahman, and even Leroy Hoard b/c I grew up rooting for them to do well so my Dad's team could win.

 

[ffguru56]

my soon to be 2nd grader LOVES football. i purchased a couple of the draft previews for him so he could learn a bit about the incoming rookies and he is going nuts with them. before then he looked through numerous preseason guides i had from several years ago (BARRY SANDERS was in a couple of them... lol) because i quit buying them when we finally got high speed internet.he's not gifted but we do know that he's getting bored in school... and he causes trouble when he's bored (provokes it actually, he's never caught)... so some of the teachers have suggested finding something he's fascinated in and letting him explore it as much as possible from as many angles as possible.i'm considering introducing him to fantasy football this summer and setting up a very basic league for him.does this sound like a good idea for somebody this young, or is it a big risk? i do NOT want to turn him off to the game. plus he's ultra competitive, so that's a concern.has anybody else introduced their kids to fantasy sports? if so, how'd you do it and do you have any advice?

I agree that it does challenge the mind with a lot of things the others have brought up (ie. value of picks, etc) however, I think it's best not to subject kids to computers that early. Maybe it's just my opinion but fantasy football won't get your kids isolated or cause them not to have friends....it's computers. The use of instant messenging has killed interpersonal skills. I fimly believe this. Considering the world we live in now-adays where it's technology driven....I wouldn't say holding the computer back from them is the key. Rather, set a minimal amount of supervised time he is allowed on it per day and weekend. And ensure the computer is in a room that he can't access without you (or have a lock on the computer). Like I said, maybe it's me, but computers are addicting and I feel parents need to be careful with the amount of time their kids spend on it, among other reasons that aren't named (porn, child predators, morally wrong web sites, explicit web sites, etc). I guess my point is that, sure, it's a good idea to let him get involved with it. But certainly limit his time on the computer so he won't have a chance to become obsessed with it....not at this age anyway.

So what's the point of playing? Everyone else in his league will have computer access, he'll know he's way behind from an information standpoint and he'll be playing a game where he has a huge disadvantage. It's not like several years ago, where internet access gave you a competitive adantage. Now, if you don't have it you're in a deep hole. Do you limit his checking injury reports on Sunday morning? How about scores and stats throughout the day? Practice schedules during the week? Message boards for info? I understand your concern about computers, but that just tells me that maybe ff isn't for a young person. It's a computer-based game now, like it or not.

I completely understand that FF now is very computer based. But this is only a kid. If he's "reduced" then yes he will have less of an advantage but it's just a kid. You want him to have any access at all times to stay up on information (= addicted) and that's what I'm voicing my opinion by trying to avoid. Whether it's the addiction to FF or to computers.I agree with JohnnyU.....kids need to do kid stuff. I think you can find other ways to challenge kids mentally than fantasy football.

 

[Football Jones]

I didn't have to "start" my son in this hobby. He became interested himself & started asking questions when he was about 9. He participated in his first draft at the age of 10.

My son is now a young man & is a well-rounded person. I'm very proud of him. BTW, he doesn't spend an inordinate amount of time on FF (certainly much less than me, LOL).

 

[WhoDat]

My little guy (8) has a grandfather and many, many, many uncles that all coach/played football. He has been playing in pads since he was 5. On a technical level he knows more about the game than the average grown man. Guys posting here this time of year are not average so do not take offense to that statement. For example, someone joked about the differences between the 4-3 and 3-4. He can cover that in tiny man speak, which is to say he can do a pretty good job of relaying the general differences between the two for a kid that young.

He is a fan of the game and is convinced that V. Young was put on this planet to save the world. As a Sooner, that breaks my heart but per my son's request I drafted Young in all of my dynasty leagues last year. Looks like that might pan out. Oh, and he loves his Cowboys, which really kills me on Sundays. Anyway...

He got curious about this FF business two years ago. I was torn for many of the reasons mentioned here but decided to use it at as a learning tool and applied the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach to him playing. I built some activites around reading, writing, geography and math that tied into players on his team. More emphasis was placed upon the learning aspects versus the actual FF piece. His league consisted of a few of the neighborhood kids (4) with a very easy scoring system. They could pick new players on a week to week basis. Here are some of the things I did.

Each kid had to figure out his own score each Sunday and Monday evening. I would print the stats. They did the math.

Each kid was allowed to read any or all printed material regarding players and games. They could not, though, surf the Net. Each learned about the Sports section in local, regional and national newspapers and the location of those papers in the school's library.

Each kid had to be able to locate the player's home city on a map; name the state and the state capital before he could pick him for that week. Keep in mind this started when these kids were 5-6 and, yes, I would have a small army of little people at my house on Saturday afternoons to complete this task.

I bought some Topps football cards. I tracked down the addresses for all the teams. I bought a bunch of holders for the cards and bubble wrap envelopes. Each kid had to write a letter each week to 1 player from his team. The letter and a card was sent to the team address with a package stamped with pre paid return postage. Keep in mind this has gone on for a few years. I would also include a note explaining the learning associated with this exercise. Damn near every player autographed the card and sent it back or they sent the signed card and a signed 8x10 back.

I agree that kids need to be kids. I agree that kids need to be outside playing versus the dreaded inside, video game/computer alternative. Conversely, I got a pretty big ROI out this exercise with the youngsters involved and I have no regrets.